Stir of Shadows
by Queen of Sarab
Summary: A new villainess creates havoc for the Ronins....


  
  
  
  
Stir of Shadows  
by Queen of Sarab  
  
Chapter One  
  
"You called, Great One?"  
The kneeling girl did not lift her eyes from the ground as she spoke. To do so  
without first being told would be insolent- and insolence meant death...or  
worse. She did not move until a booming voice sounded out of the enclosing  
darkness.  
"RAISE YOUR EYES BEFORE YOU, GIRL."  
The girl obeyed, her long, jet-black hair cascading back over her shoulders.  
The voice spoke again.  
"KNOW YOU WERE CHOSEN, KURAI -BUT IF YOU FAIL, YOU MUST SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCE OF ALL WHO FAIL OUR PEOPLE."  
Kurai allowed herself a small, malicious smile, her cat-like green eyes shining  
in the light of a softly glowing green amulet hung about her neck.  
"I will not fail," she answered softly.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Green light filled everything...it shone with a brightness  
that hurt Rowen's eyes, yet illuminated nothing... the light was everything,  
and yet nothing, held in place by a dull buzzing that slowly crescendoed into  
laughter...bad laughter...it hurt....and then came the pictures, spinning into  
view and then disappearing just as fast...a black-haired girl...Ryo in subarmor,  
running at full speed across a field...a garden full of white roses...a black  
cat...in full armor, Sage, his blond hair falling in his eyes as he fought an  
unseen enemy...beautiful birds singing...the girl laughed...a green amulet...a  
boy with shaggy red-brown hair and blue eyes--Sai?...white  
roses....darkness...Kento,fighting off hundreds of headless soldiers, blue hair  
plastered down with sweat..a place of utter black...roses...roses...and now the  
roses were changing, molding into people in black  
robes...chanting....chanting..."I can't understand..." Rowen screamed....no one  
hears...or cares....chanting.... chanting....and three words became audible  
"Shuzoku no mayonaka...Shuzoku no mayonaka..."  
Rowen sat up suddenly out of sleep, his dream still fresh in his mind.  
Groaning, he brushed a stray strand of dark blue hair out of his eyes and  
tumbled off his bed, realizing that it was the sun glaring in his eyes that had  
awoken him.  
"Just a dream," he muttered to himself, fumbling around for clean clothes just  
as a knock sounded on his door.  
"Hey, Rowen, hurry and get up or you'll miss breakfast!" a voice called through  
the door.  
"Ya know, the world doesn't revolve around food, Kento," he called back,  
grinning. "Welcome back to reality..."he laughed to himself as he threw open the  
door and headed down the stairs.  
  
"Morning, Ro!" Sai called in his light british accent as Rowen  
walked into the kitchen.  
"Mornin', guys," Rowen muttered, sliding into an empty seat at the table.   
Besides his four friends Sage,Kento, Sai, and Ryo, 2 others sat at the table-  
Mia, her long brown hair and clothes immaculate, and Yulie, a young boy,whose  
dark hair and disheveled appearance was just the opposite.  
"Sleep well, Rowen?" Mia asked lightly.  
Sighing, Rowen leaned back in his chair. "Not exactly...I had this really weird  
dream...But I couldn' understan' any of it except three words, so I don' know if  
it was some kinda premonition or sumthing."  
Looking up at him, Ryo raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "What were the words you  
understood?"  
"Umm..." Squinting, Rowen thought for a minute. "Shuzoku no mayonaka, I  
think..."  
Sai stopped in the middle of buttering a piece of toast."Shuzoku no mayonaka?"  
he repeated."Tribe of Midnight?"  
"Do you know what it means, Sai?" Ryo broke in.  
"Not exactly...I just think I've heard it somewhere before." Sai went back to  
the toast. "But I could be wrong."  
"I'll look it up if it eases your mind any, Rowen," stated Mia, passing around  
a pot of tea. "But for now, just forget it and eat something."  
"Ye'a... guess you're right," Rowen stared at his food.  
"Hey, Ro, gonna eat that?" asked Kento.  
That was when the knock sounded.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Kurai looked at herself carefully in the window on the outside of Ronin Manor,  
then after a moment of thought, reached down and tore off part of the hem of her  
dress, leaning the torn section hanging down. Ruffling her hair a little, she  
looked at herself one last time and then knocked.  
"Yes..." Sai opened the door, trailing off as he saw her.  
Putting on a look of distress, Kurai began to cry."Please help me," she sobbed  
hopelessly, falling against Sai's chest.  
"Um...all right. Come in." Looking startled, Sai led Kurai through the door and  
into the kitchen.  
  
"...And when I got out of my car to help them, they jumped in and...and...and  
they took it," Kurai choked back a sob."I just didn't know what to do!" Risking  
a quick look to gauge the boys(and Mia)'s expressions, Kurai broke into fresh  
tears.  
"Don't worry about anything," Sage said, wrapping an comforting  
arm around her shoulders. "You can rest here for awhile, and then call someone  
to come get you."  
"I...I don't have anyone to call..."  
"No family or friends?" Ryo asked in surprise.  
Kurai shook her head sadly.  
"Then you'll stay here as long as you need to," added Ryo firmly. "You can  
borrow some of Mia's clothes until we can get you new ones."  
Kurai gave a weak smile. "Oh, you are all too kind. How can I ever repay you?"  
"No need," Ryo smiled. "Mia, take her up to one of the guest rooms, will you?"  
"Can I talk to all of you in the hall first?" Mia asked through clenched teeth.  
"I'll stay with...um..." Sage thought for a moment."What'd you say your name  
was?"  
"It's Kurai," the raven-haired girl smiled sweetly. "And I would LOVE for you  
to stay with me."  
As Sage flushed with pride, the other 4 Ronins and Mia went out into the hall.  
Yulie followed them out, but was promptly sent upstairs by Mia.  
After she had sent off Yulie, Mia turned to Ryo. "Ryo," she started. "I KNOW  
you're just trying to act all nice and leaderish or whatever, but you just  
offered some girl we don't even know room and board in MY house, MY clothes, and  
practically passed me off as a maid- WITHOUT asking me first!"  
Ryo looked startled. "Sorry, Mia, I just figured, you know, you'd want to be  
nice to her- she's been through alot."  
"Wow, her car got stolen," Mia scowled. "If we tried to help everyone who's car  
got stolen we'd have QUITE a full house."  
"This really isn't like you, Mia," Sai chirped. "I mean, aren't we SUPPOSED to  
help people?"  
Mia sighed. "There's just something I don't like about her..."  
"Me neith'a," Rowen agreed. "Plus, she was one of the people in my dream last  
night- and trust me, NOT in a good way."  
"And did you notice her name?" Mia went on. "'Kurai'? Doesn't that mean  
'darkness'?"  
"So? She's got black hair!" Ryo laughed. "I'd say that's pretty dark.You two  
are being way too paranoid. I mean, she's only about our age. Really, how bad  
could one teenage girl be?"  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Sage?"  
Startled at the sound of Kurai's voice, Sage spun around from the getting a  
glass of water at the sink. Kurai smiled at him.  
"It is Sage, right?" she asked.  
"Uh...yeah."  
Kurai smiled again, standing up and walking over to him. She looked up at him  
through her eyelashes.  
"I...I just wanted to say thank you," she spoke slowly. "I mean, for  
everything."  
"Well,um," Sage stuttered. "You know, it's really not my doing... you should  
thank Mia or Ryo or something."  
Kurai moved in closer until she was practically pressed against him.  
"Oh, but I like you so much better," she smiled.  
"Um, I..." began Sage, but the door flew open before he could say anymore.  
Kurai jumped back away from him.  
"Kurai?" Ryo pushed Mia forward. "Mia will take you to a guest room,now, if you  
want, and get you some clean clothes."  
"I would love that, " Kurai smiled sweetly, sweeping out the door.  
With a frown, Mia hurried to catch up.  
"There's somethin' just not right with her," muttered Rowen as the door shut  
behind the girls.  
Sage turned on him. " What's that supposed to mean?" he snarled.  
"Just what I said," Rowen scowled. "I don't think she's being completely honest  
with us, eitha'."  
"Are you calling her a liar?"  
"What's wrong with you, Sage?" Rowen shot back. " Why are you being so  
defensive of some girl who, for all we know, could be trying to kill us?"  
With a cry, Sage threw himself at Rowen,knocking him down.  
"Sage! What are you doing?" Sai cried as he, Kento, and Ryo pulled them apart.  
Rowen rubbed his arm, scrambling to his feet as Sage was pulled away from him.   
Sage jerked out of Ryo and Kento's grasps, glaring at Rowen. Without a word, he  
turned and stalked out of the room.  
"What's his problem?" Kento asked, staring at the door.  
Ryo chewed his lip thoughtfully. " I don't know, but we're going to find out."  
  
"Kurai?"  
Spinning around from where she was sorting through a pile of Mia's clothes,  
Kurai could see Sai peeking around the edge of the guest-room door.  
"Yes?"  
Sai stepped into the room, looking around him nervously. "I was just wondering  
if you were getting settled all right, and if you needed any help with  
anything."  
"I'm doing great," Kurai said. "But I was about to take a break from going  
through these clothes--maybe you'd like to stay and talk for a minute?"  
With a small smile, Sai sat in the chair Kurai indicated. "Sure," he said  
lightly.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Rowen skidded to a halt in front of Mia's room and knocked twice. "Mia?" he  
called softly. "It's Rowen. Can I come in?"  
"Sure," Mia's voice came, muffled, through the door.  
Mia was hunched over her computer, fingers flying over the keys.  
"Found anything?"  
Sighing, Mia stopped to stretch, then wheeled her chair around to face Rowen.  
"Sorry. There is absolutely nothing on Shuzoku no mayonaka except for  
confirmation that it means 'tribe of midnight'. And that in itself was very  
difficult to find."  
Rowen bit his lip. "Nothin'?"  
"Did you not just hear what I said?" Mia sighed. "And frankly, I'm beginning to  
think maybe we are being a little judgmental about this girl. We really haven't  
even given her a chance."  
"But what about my dream, Mia?" Rowen urged. "I know that was the girl from my  
dream."  
Mia sighed again. "I don't know, Rowen. Maybe you've seen her before and you  
just forgot. People dream lots of stuff. I mean, not all dreams are some kind  
of premonitions."  
Defeated, Rowen ran a hand through his hair. "Ye'a, guess you're right."  
Seeing the dejected look on her friend's face, Mia frowned, then smiled slowly.   
"Of course, your dreams usually do mean something, and I really never was one to  
pass up a challenge like this..."  
Rowen broke into a grin, wrapping Mia in a sudden hug. "You're the best, Mia!"  
he called enthusiastically, bounding out the door and off down the hall. As he  
skidded around the corner, he almost ran into Sai, who was leaning against the  
wall, arms folded, looking ready to kill someone.  
"What's the matta', Sai?" asked Rowen, suddenly concerned.  
Scowling, Sai turned on him. "I heard you and Mia talking. Why can't you even  
give that poor girl a chance?! Are you really so paranoid and blind that you  
would think that innocent girl would be associated with such evil things?!"  
Shocked, by Sai's outburst, Rowen backed up against the wall. "What's wrong  
with everybody today? Usually you're at least open-minded to things."  
"You're the not being open-minded!" Sai cried. "You just don't understand!"  
"Sai, you're right. I don't. But apparently you don't, either. Besides, she's  
been here, what, 15 minutes now?"  
"Yeah- she's been here 15 minutes, hasn't even done anything, and you're  
accusing her of plotting our deaths!" Sai growled menacingly.  
Before Rowen could retort, Mia came crashing around the corner. "Oh, um, Sai,  
Ryo needs to see you in the kitchen." Sai threw one last angry glance at Rowen,  
then stalked off. Mia looked after him worriedly.  
Rowen released a big breath. "Thanks alot, Mia," he sighed. "I hope Ryo keeps  
him busy for awhile."  
Looking guilty, Mia giggled. "Well, um, he didn't actually want to see him...I  
just heard Sai yelling and didn't want another fight to break out."  
"What, you lied?!" Rowen feigned surprise. "I am shocked, Mia! How could you?"  
Giving him an exasperated look, Mia turned to leave. "When you're done being  
shocked, Rowen, I'll be looking for more information."  
"Wait, Mia," sighed Rowen, suddenly serious. "I think we really have a problem  
on our hands."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, think about it- Sage is alone with Kurai, he attacks me when I say  
something about her," Rowen mused.  
Realization dawned on Mia's face. "And before Sai yelled at you, he came up  
here to check on Kurai."  
"Exactly," Rowen nodded. "So now what?"  
"I guess we warn Ryo and Kento before they're alone with her, too," stated Mia.  
"I'll do it," agreed Rowen. "You see what you can find out."  
  
Chapter Five  
  
The door to the living room was closed-and something was wrong. That was  
immediately obvious as Rowen bounded down the stairs. From under the door came a  
dull green glow, like a TV had been left on. But that wasn't what seemed wrong.  
It was the feeling that flowed through the area around it, letting off a general  
air of despair and evil.  
"This can't be good," Rowen murmured, and, taking a deep breath, threw open the  
door.  
It was immediately obvious the glow didn't come from a TV. In fact, the glow  
had died as soon as Rowen had opened the door.  
In a chair next to the couch, where Ryo sat, was Kurai, who spun around angrily  
as the door was thrown open. And, just for a second before she composed herself,  
Rowen could have sworn Kurai's eyes glowed.  
"Ryo?" Rowen said softly.  
As if coming out of a daze, Ryo focused on Rowen.  
"Are you, um, ok?" Rowen asked.  
Ryo smiled eerily. "Of course, man. Why wouldn't I be?"  
"Oh, no reason...um, what are you doing?"  
"We were just talking," smiled Kurai sweetly. "Ryo, why don't you go get me some  
water?"  
Nodding, Ryo stood and started to leave, but Rowen held him back. "I'll go with  
you," he said hurriedly.  
Smiling coyly, Kurai motioned to Ryo's former seat. "Why don't you stay and  
keep me company, Rowen?"  
"No!!" Rowen yelped. "I mean, no thanks, I'm kinda busy." And, pushing Ryo  
along with him, he hurried from the room.  
Ryo turned to him as soon as the door closed behind them. "That was really  
rude, Ro -- you really should try to be nicer to our guests."  
Not wanting to get into another argument, Rowen shoved Ryo towards the  
kitchen. "Uh-huh, I'll try that, gotta go talk to Mia, bye!" Leaving Ryo  
bewildered and calling after him, Rowen skidded off and bounded up the stairs  
two at a time.  
Bursting into Mia's room without knocking, he collapsed in a chair next to  
Mia's desk, panting.  
"You look like you just ran a marathon," Mia cried out, shocked. "What's the  
matter?"  
Taking a deep breath, Rowen shoved a strand of hair out of his face. "She's got  
Ryo."  
  
The clock next to the guest bed read exactly 11:59.  
One minute left, thought Kurai nervously, until he comes. One minute until  
mayonaka.  
The clock changed.  
Suddenly, as if on cue, a spot of purple light appeared in front of Kurai --  
and exploded into swirls of light, intertwining and weaving together in time  
with it's words.  
"HAVE YOU SUCEEDED?"  
Trembling, Kurai spoke, almost inaudibly."Al..Almost, Great One."  
"WHY NOT COMPLETELY?" Anger began to fill the room, causing Kurai to grasp her  
head in pain.  
"I have all except one, Great One..." she moaned. "I will get him soon enough.  
But I believe he and the girl are suspicious."  
"THE GIRL IS NOT IMPORTANT - GET RID OF HER, IF NEED BE. I MUST HAVE THE  
RONINS' ARMOR - AT ANY COST."  
"I understand, Great One," Kurai managed to choke out, the pain in her head  
building to unbearable heights.  
And, as suddenly as they had come, both light and pain disappeared.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Rowen was awoken by complete silence. "It's quiet...too quiet," he muttered,  
then laughed at himself. "Oh, no, Rowen, that wasn't at all cliche or  
corny...Ok, now I'm talking to myself. No, I'm not going crazy at all..."  
Throwing on his clothes, the blue-haired archer raced down the stairs,  
expecting Sai at the stove cooking, everyone else seated around the table  
laughing and talking. But the kitchen was completely empty. As were the living  
room, the study...  
"Looking for someone?"  
Whirling around, Rowen automatically assumed a fighting stance. Kurai laughed  
at him.  
" You think you can stop me, Strata?" she smirked. "Oh, don't look so suprised-  
I know you're on to me, and I know all about you and your little friends fight  
for good. Pathetic, really. All this time and the Dynasty hasn't made a dent in  
you, and it takes me half a day to take out four of you!"  
"Who are you?" Rowen suddenly realized he was being backed against the wall,  
and cast about him for a way out.  
"You surprise me, Rowen," replyed Kurai smoothly. "Who am I? I am Kurai, of  
Shuzoku no mayonaka. Remember dreams, Strata- they tell you what is to come. You  
should have payed more attention to yours."  
By now, Rowen was completely against the wall. Suddenly, with one sudden, fluid  
movement, Rowen struck out with one leg, aiming to knock his opponent over- and  
found himself thrown against the wall.  
"How..how did you..." Rowen gasped. "I mean, you didn't..touch me..."  
"Not physically," laughed Kurai, clearly enjoying the whole thing. "See, that's  
the great thing about the mind- it holds unimaginable power. Probably why you  
were my greatest opponent amongst the Ronins- you have the greatest brainpower."  
Her eyes narrowed. "Now to test it."  
A dot of light began in the amulet around her neck, growing larger and larger  
until it filled the room. Suddenly dizzy, Rowen felt his knees go out. He  
collapsed to the floor in a heap.  
"Oh, come on, Strata! Put up a fight!" Kurai grinned wolfishly. "You know, I  
was only supposed to get your armor, but if put under my mind control I could  
gain five powerful warriors for us and probably would be well advanced."  
Rowen suddenly realized he could move again. She has to be concentrating on me  
to have control, he realized in amazement. His hand began inching towards the  
knife drawer.  
"Would you like to have some fun before put under mind control, Strata? I know  
I need some amusement..." his opponent narrowed her eyes, her voice becoming  
more of a hiss. "And some revenge....you've evaded me longer than most, and I  
don't like that. I want to see you hurt."  
Rowen stared up at her carefully in an effort to distract her from his hand,  
which was slowly pulling on the handle of the knife drawer. "What do you mean?"  
he asked guardedly.  
"I'll pit you against one of your friends," the dark-haired girl replyed  
calmly. "Perhaps.... Wildfire? Yes, Wildfire it is...." Kurai snapped her  
fingers, and Ryo came bounding in the door several seconds later. Without even  
turning, Kurai ordered "Wildfire- fight him."  
Rowen tensed his muscles. The knife drawer was halfway opened, and he closed  
his hand around a small but deadly blade.  
Suddenly, Ryo lunged forward, brandishing his twin datchi and barely missing  
beheading his archer friend. Leaping up, Rowen concealed the knife he held in  
one hand and leaped out of the way as Ryo again lunged at him.  
Rowen pinned him to the floor. "Listen to me, Ryo," he hissed. "This is not  
you. You are under Kurai's control. You have to break through- I need your help.  
If you can understand me, you have to distract Kurai for me. Trust me on this.  
Please, Ryo."  
Something flickered in Ryo's eyes, and Rowen thought he perceived a small nod.  
Rowen let his friend up. Ryo immediately stood and backed up a little.  
"Wildfire!" Kurai growled. "I said fight him!"  
Circling Rowen, Ryo muttered, "Sorry 'bout this, man," and then lunged at the  
archer, knocking him to the floor. Ryo lifted his datchi about his head as  
though he were about to strike at Rowen. Suddenly, before anyone could react,  
Ryo jumped up and sprinted straight for the door.  
Kurai quickly summed up the situation and with a jerk of her head knocked Ryo  
up against the wall. "Bad Wildfire," she frowned. "No biscuit."  
While she was distracted with his friend, Rowen silently lifted himself up and  
in two steps was across the room, his knife at her throat.  
"Release your hold on my friends," he said from between clenched teeth, "or  
die."  
"Die before surrender," Kurai returned defiantly. "But do you really expect to  
defeat me physically like that?"  
"Two heads are better than one." With Kurai's attention on Rowen, Ryo was able  
to cross to her other side, pressing his datchi against her chest.  
Kurai closed her eyes and began speaking rapidly in an unidentifiable language,  
and before Rowen or Ryo could flinch, she was gone.  
"Okay, um, what just happened, man?" Ryo furrowed his eyebrows. Rowen shook his  
head.  
Slowly, as if coming out of a daze, sound began to return to the Ronin Manor.  
"She'll be back, won't she?" asked Ryo quietly.  
"Definitely," Rowen agreed, staring absently out the window. "She'll be back."  
They sat in silence for a moment before Ryo spoke up.  
"Do you think the others...are normal again?"  
Rowen's eyes widened. "I dunno...I guess we'll have to see. Come on- let's go  
check on them."  
They took the stairs two at a time, slowly panicing as they realized that while  
sound had returned ot the world, there was no sound coming from upstairs. Where  
Kento's loud proclamations of hunger, Sai's light British accent, and Sage's  
laughter usually filled the house, it was silent.  
They arrived at the room Rowen and Sage shared first.  
"Was he there this morning?" hissed Ryo.  
"Didn't notice," Rowen returned. "I wasn't really paying attention."  
Ryo threw the door open. "Sage?"  
They were met by silence.  
Exchanging a worried look, Wildfire and Strata inched into the room. "Sage?"  
Ryo called again.  
Rowen strode over to Sage's bed. It was empty- in fact, it looked as if it  
hadn't even been slept in.  
It was the same in Kento and Sai's room- empty beds, completely neat and made  
up.  
"Now that is a feat," Ryo laughed nervously. "Kento never makes his bed."  
Rowen glanced at him. "We need to find Mia." As Ryo nodded agreement, they  
headed to Mia's room.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Mia wasn't in her room, her study, or anywhere else in the house. The two  
ronins did, however, find a note plastered to the door of her study:  
  
Guys-  
Took Yuli- wanted to get him out of harm's way. Food in the fridge, contact  
you in a couple of days.  
Mia  
  
"That's not like Mia," frowned Ryo.  
"That's not Mia," Rowen corrected.  
The Ronins looked at each other. "Now what?" Ryo asked.  
"We wait," the blue-haired archer answered.  
  
3...4...5...6...  
Two sets of eyes fixed themselves immovably on the chiming clock.  
7...8....9...  
A cold wind began to blow through the den of Ronin Manor, making the remaining  
Ronins shiver- not only with cold, but with anticipation.  
10....11...  
Ryo of the Wildfire and Rowen of the Strata tensed their muscles beneath their  
armor.  
12.  
Midnight..  
"Waiting for your coach to turn into a pumpkin?"  
Rowen and Ryo whirled around, weapons at the ready.  
Kurai stood there, her cat-green eyes cold and mocking, raven hair swirling  
around her. The edges of her mouth twitched into a grin.  
"Where are our friends?" demanded Ryo from between clenched teeth.  
Kurai looked at him in amusement. "Where I want them," she said simply. She  
glanced at their weapons. "I expected more from you."  
When she realized her opponents weren't answering her, Kurai waved her hand  
dismissively and went on. "But I'm bored with this- will you surrender, or shall  
we fight?'  
" 'Die before surrender'," Rowen repeated mockingly.  
"Fine," Kurai sighed. "We'll do this the hard way. But I'm not completely  
unsporting- let's make this more interesting, shall we? Make it fair?" With a  
swift movement of her hands, Kurai pulled two foreign-looking weapons out of the  
emerald green sash wrapped around her slim waist. Twirling them, she grinned  
again. "Let the games begin."  
Ryo was the first to strike, his right foot snapping up in a roundhouse kick,  
directed towards Kurai's jaw. She ducked as it swung over her head, then with  
two quick movements, grabbed his foot as it raced towards the ground and used  
his own momentum to send him tumbling to the ground. Ryo quickly scrambled back  
to where his fellow ronin stood to escape her reach.  
Rowen didn't even glance at his friend. Slowly, things began to click in his  
head, and his gaze fixed on the amulet around Kurai's neck.  
"What's the matter, man?" murmured Ryo to his friend as he stood and brushed  
himself off.  
"It's her amulet," Rowen said under his breath. "Remembah, Ryo? Like Kayura's  
made her obey the Dynasty, only this doesn't make her obey- it concentrates her  
psychic power."  
Ryo followed the direction of his friend's gaze. "You sure?"  
"Ye'a."  
"Then let's get it."  
Ryo attacked again, this time using his datchi against her weapons. They were  
soon a blur of weapon, both opponents excellent fighters with their weapon of  
choice.  
As this was going on, Rowen was slowly circling the room until he was directly  
behind the two fighting forms. Both fighters leapt apart simultaneously, a small  
wound welling up blood on Kurai's cheek, and a similar gash on Ryo's arm,  
slicing through his subarmor and cutting his skin.  
Rowen was ready. As soon as they paused, Rowen, positioned behind Kurai, leapt  
forward, knocking his opponent to the ground.  
"You really should learn to divide your attention, Kurai," he grinned. He  
grabbed the amulet, knowing if he released it for a second she would disappear  
again.  
A sudden pain lanced through his arm, originating with the amulet, which was  
now burning an angry green. Rowen's hand burned, but he was determined to get  
the necklace, now more sure than ever of it's power.  
Ryo reached over to help him, attempting to pull the amulet over the now  
struggling Kurai's head. She stubbornly pressed her head against the ground,  
providing no way for that.  
"Guess we gotta do this the hard way," Ryo told his friend. "Pull it tight."  
Rowen obeyed, the chain that held the amulet becoming taut. With a cry, Ryo  
swung down his blade, slicing the chain and stopping a millimeter from Kurai's  
throat. Rowen pulled the amulet away from her throat as she screamed out as if  
in pain. Thrashing wildly now, Rowen could barely hold her. Which was when she  
bit him.  
"Ah!" Screamed Rowen, and for a split second his hold on Kurai was loosened.  
That was all she needed. Wriggling out from under him, she darted away, jumping  
through the window with a loud crash. The Ronins immediately gave chase, but the  
dark girl had disappeared.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
"How are we supposed to get them back now?!"  
"Calm down, Ryo- we'll get them. Trust me."  
Kurai's amulet sat on the kitchen table between Rowen and Ryo. They both stared  
at it.  
"We gotta go find them." Ryo stood up defiantly and reached for his weapons,  
suddenly crying out in pain as the wound in his arm throbbed.  
Rowen was immediately at his side, setting him back down in his seat. "Ryo,  
get a hold on yourself. It's not like we're gonna find them sitting outside the  
door. We have to think of some kind of plan. And get you some more painkillers."  
This last was said with a slight laugh as Ryo grinned in pain.  
"What kind of weapon can cut through our armor?" he asked suddenly. "I mean,  
they'd have to be pretty sharp."  
Rowen gave his friend an exasperated look. "You forgot, Ryo- Kurai has some  
kind of psychic powers."  
Ryo winced as Rowen re-wrapped his arm. "And this effects her weapons...why?"  
"Not necessarily her weapons, Ryo- she can manipulate things- people, animals,  
objects..."  
"Armor," Ryo finished, suddenly catching on.  
"Not really...our armor is powerful against her- she would have to concentrate  
alot of power to manipulate out armor. It's possible, but it would take alot of  
energy. So she reserves power by manipulating her weapons, making them sharp  
enough to cut through whatever she wants- such as armor."  
Ryo stared at his friend. "Ok. So what do we do?"  
"Midnight seems to be the time Kurai shows herself," Rowen's eyes flashed. "And  
I have a feeling she's gonna want this amulet."  
  
"YOU FAILED."  
Kurai, kneeling on the floor, took a deep breath and looked up. "No, Great One,  
please..."  
"YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCE OF FAILURE."  
"Please...give me another chance. I know I can win this time and capture  
Wildfire and Strata. I did bring the others."  
Oh, pleasepleaseplease....  
Silence filled the room for a full minute, and when the voice came it was  
harsh. "ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE BROUGHT THE OTHERS. BUT IF YOU FAIL THIS TIME...."  
"Yes, Great One."  
Kurai stood, a relieved smile threatening to break her solemn face. "I  
understand."  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Rowen and Ryo stood in the middle of the front yard in subarmor, not wanting to  
have to be confined in the house when Kurai came- and they knew she would come.  
The clock struck midnight.  
Kurai's amulet began to glow softly in Rowen's sub-armored hand.  
"Kurai," he called. "I know you're there- I offer you your amulet back for our  
friends' safe return." Even as he said it, Rowen knew she would not accept- but  
he also knew he had to try.  
There was no answer for several moments, and then, suddenly, Kurai's voice  
sounded behind them. "I cannot accept your offer, ronin.  
And soon I'll have my amulet back and won't need to."  
Ryo spun around quickly to face her, but Rowen turned slowly and carefully with  
a deep breath. "You cannot take it from it by force, Kurai."  
"I wasn't planning on it, Strata," Eyes mocking, Kurai tilted her head. "I have  
a proposal for you."  
"We're listening."  
"Your friends are under our power," the dark girl began. "As you well know. I  
will give you a chance to get them back- but if you fail, you are ours. All of  
you. Including the girl and the little boy."  
"What do we have to do?" Ryo asked immediately.  
"You have to survive an...obstacle course, of sorts, of your friends' making-  
an obstacle course of their nightmares. They are alreay inside their own  
nightmare- you just have to find them and find the way out."  
"No tricks?"  
Kurai's opened her mouth in mock suprise. "What do you take me for?" She  
grinned wolfishly. "If you accept my challenge, go back inside and go to sleep."  
And she was gone.  
"Go to sleep?" Ryo mused.  
Rowen stared at the spot his enemy had stood a moment before as though it would  
give him answers. "I don't think we have much of a choice. We have to help the  
others."  
"You're right," Ryo nodded. "Let's get back inside."  
  
Rowen stared at the ceiling of the living room, where they had decided was the  
most reasonable place ot sleep in this situation.  
...Havetosleephavetosleephavetosleep....  
Slowly, the blue-haired archer of life drifted off into a deep and almost  
unnatural sleep at the exact same time Ryo fell into an almost trancelike state  
on the other couch.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Complete and total darkness.  
Not even a trace of light pierced the darkness that met Ryo and Rowen.  
"What's going on?" Ryo whispered, afraid to break the silence that surrounded  
them.  
Rowen stared around them. "One of the others' dreams, I guess...but why is it  
that in spite of the darkness we can see each other, although there isn't any  
trace of light?"  
"I..." Ryo began to say, but stopped suddenly as he heard a sound.  
"Where am I?" a voice asked from near them.  
They knew that voice.  
"Sage?" Rowen called softly, and suddenly, although no light appeared, they  
could see Sage standing in front of them, his eyes wide and very frightened.  
"What's going on?" he breathed.  
"Sage! You're ok!" Ryo cried out suddenly, then lowered his voice as though he  
had just been hushed in a library. "You are ok, aren't you?"  
"Yeah, Ryo, I just 'appeared' in some creepy dark place, I hate the dark, and  
the last thing I remember is talking to Kurai in our kitchen. I'm great."  
"Just checking."  
As Ryo explained what had happened to Sage, Rowen looked arounf them warily.  
Blackness stretched in all directions, unbroken by anything.  
"Sage- what's your worst nightmare?" he asked softly, just as Ryo finished  
filling the third ronin in.  
Halo thought a moment. "Um, I think it was..." Sage suddenly stopped, his face  
draining of color. "In a place like this. Exactly like this. And there were all  
these things in the dark, and I...I couldn't see them..."  
"For some reason, I don't like the sound of this." Ryo grimaced.  
"And it'll just get worse," murmured Rowen grimly.  
Suddenly, Sage was pushed back into Rowen, knocking both of them to the ground  
with a loud crash. They quickly scrambled to their feet, Sage summoning his  
subarmor.  
"Why can't you just have nice dreams about pretty meadows and pink bunnies?"  
Rowen asked bitterly.  
"Sorry, Ro, I'll try to dream more to your liking from now on."  
The darkness lashed out again, slashing a midnight black sword a millimeter  
from Sage's head.  
"Sage, you gotta face your nightmare," Ryo said between clenched teeth.  
"Sure, oh great and fearless leader, just tell me HOW I'm supposed to face  
darkness?!"  
Ryo was silent, but realization dawned on Rowen's face. "Sage, you gotta fight  
it with..." The darkness leaped at him, knocking him down again. He scrambled  
back, suddenly realizing he was going deeper into the darkness. He quickly  
scampered back towards his friends. "Light, Sage! Summon Halo, kill it with  
light!"  
Sage didn't answer. He was staring at he darkness, transfixed, muttering  
something to himself under his breath.  
"SAGE! LISTEN!" Rowen screamed. He could feel the darkness closing around them,  
and could see the others felt it too. "Sage, you're the only one who can beat  
this!! Summon your armor!"  
Sage slowly nodded his head slowly, not even turning.  
The darkness was creeping around Rowen's body, wrapping him like a blanket. And  
suddenly, his body shut down and he felt himself began to drift off into his  
mind.  
  
"THUNDERBOLT CUT!"  
A blaze of light slashed through Rowen's vision, and he snapped back to reality  
just in time to see...nothing. Sage's attack had illuminated a broad expanse of  
dark floor, seemingly with no end any way. However, a black door stood about 100  
feet away, floating in the air with no frame or any type of structure around it.  
"The way out! Head to the door!" Ryo called out as the light projected by  
Sage's attack faded suddenly. They couldn't see anymore, but they had a new  
hope- a way out of Sage's nightmare.  
The other 2 ronins nodded and began to push their way over towards the door  
against the hard wind that suddenly appeared.  
When the door was 73 feet away, the darkness began to tug.  
Now struggling against two forces, the ronins pushed harder. They reached  
around them frantically, trying to find the door in the pitch black of the  
place.  
Suddenly, just as they were beginning to once more give up hope, Sage's hand  
touched cold wood.  
Following the sound of his voice, Ryo and Rowen made their way over to them.  
Together, they were able to yank the door open. Light burst into the room, and a  
blood curding screamsounded from the darkness bohind them.  
Ryo, Rowen, and Sage quickly jumped through the door- into the unknown and  
blinding light beyond.  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
They dropped forever.  
White light wrapped around them like a blanket, smothering them. Rowen could  
feel Kurai's amulet, hung around his neck, began to glow and heat up. He felt  
the air begin to leave his body, and his heart began slowing down. Right before  
the blackness that threatened to envelop him covered him completely, he hit the  
ground.  
"Well, that was fun," Ryo groaned.  
The 3 ronins took a moment to take in their surroundings. They sat in a meadow  
of lush green grass, dotted with blue and yellow flowers. About 20 feet away  
rose a tall apple tree, covered in perfect red and green apples.  
"Ok, um, what exactly's going on here?" Kento's loud, familiar voice rang out  
from behind them.  
"Kento?!"  
The three ronins whirled around to face their friend.  
"Yeah...who else would it be?" he laughed. "Hey, you guys don't happen to have  
any food on you, do you?"  
"Yeah, it's Kento, all right," muttered Sage.  
"I guess you probably want to know what's going on, huh?" Ryo couldn't help  
grinning as he began to recount the recent events. Kento's eyes wandered slowly  
around him, fixing on something beneath the apple tree.  
"Hey! Food!"  
Ryo shook his head. "Kento, you need to hear the rest of the story so we  
can...wait, why is their a plate of food out in the middle of a field?"  
Kento had quickly kneeled to the ground, reaching for a plate full of an  
assortment of steaming food.  
"This is his dream, remember?" Sage said in amusement. "I mean,  
'nightmare'...but I don't see how food can be involved in a nightmare of  
Kento's..."  
As if in answer to his question, Kento suddenly let out a squeal of pain,  
looking at his food in dismay. "I think this carrot just bit me..." he moaned.  
Suddenly, the food on the plate began to warp and grow, shooting up to 1 foot  
tall...3 feet...5...  
"What the..." Kento began to back away from the food quickly.  
"Kento! Armor!" commanded Ryo.  
Kento obeyed, eyes locked on the food, which had sprouted mouths filled with  
razor sharp teeth.  
"Leave it to Kento to have nightmares about attacking food," Rowen muttered as  
he aimed an arrow at an extrodinarily large fried chicken leg.  
Next to him, Sage and Ryo charged forward, jabbing and slicing through the  
assorted food. Kento stared at his snack, transfixed. Rowen glanced back.  
"Kento!"  
Kenot didin't answer. No longer transfixed by the food, he looked about him  
wildly.  
"C'mon, Kento! We need your help!"  
Rowen looked back at the warrior of justice desperately. "Kento, it's just  
food! You love food! You eat it constantly! So get over it and defeat them so we  
can get outta here and aren't stuck here forever!"  
Blinking, Kento slowly shook his head, then gathered himself together and  
summoned his full armor.  
"Hang on, guys! I'm coming!" he roared, diving into the fray. After a moment,  
he called out, "Let's get this over with quick- IRON ROCK CRUSHER!"  
The earth trembled around them, and a vortex opened in the earth beside the  
tree, swirling the air around the Ronins furiously.  
Kento looked at it in alarm. "That never happened before when I used my  
attack," he mused.  
"It must be our way out," Rowen yelled over the wind. "We gotta at least chance  
it! We don't have much of a choice!"  
Looking back over their shoulders, the Ronins could see the now dazed edibles  
began to snarl and advance again.  
"Here go's!" shrieked Kento, taking a deep breath and jumping in. Looking at  
one another, the others closed followed, into the black void of nothingness.  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
"Now what?" Ryo asked, attempting to peer through the inky, swirling darkness  
that enveloped them.  
"Only one more Ronin to go..." Rowen replied.  
"Sai..."  
As soon as that name was said, the blackness around them let up a little. It  
was still too dark to see, but out of that darkness came the sound of childlike  
laughter.  
"That's not Sai," remarked Kento.  
The other Ronins nodded absently, not really sure what to make of what they  
were hearing.  
Suddenly, the blackness shifted once more revealing a wide expanse of choppy  
blue-grey water. An ocean. The Ronins were standing on a deserted beach, under  
an overcast sky, gazing out at the rolling water. There, in a small boat, was a  
middle-aged,auburn haired man and a small auburn haired boy, rowing out  
together. The small child, of about five, was laughing delightedly.  
While surveying the scene before them, Sage spoke up, "That's Sai, alright, but  
it's him as a kid... This doesn't seem so bad."  
"Yeah..." Ryo commented slowly. " I wonder what Sai's worst nightmare is. So  
far, this is pretty nice, a childhood memory..."  
"Knowing the ocean lover, it's probably an oil spill or something," Kento said  
with a laugh.  
"Let's just watch, shall we?" stated Rowen, who suspected that the dream was  
probably going to turn pretty nasty in just a few seconds. He wasn't disappointed.  
The overcast sky around them darkened with heavy thunderheads and the already  
choppy water grew violent. The man in the boat hurriedly fastened a life vest  
around his son, not taking the time to secure himself as well. As the man  
quickly began to row back to shore, the sky let loose and the heavens poured  
down.  
From where the remaining Ronins stood, they could see a small Coast Guard  
vessel, piloted by only two people, speeding out to assist the pair in the  
rowboat. As the Coast Guard neared the small floundering ship, a vicious wave  
crashed, toppling the little boat and sending both father and son into the  
churning water. With the life vest securely around his shoulders, the little boy  
immediately surfaced, coughing up water and crying out for his father. The man,  
however, did not surface.  
Aboard the Coast Guard boat, one of the guys hastily fastened a life line  
around his waist and plunged into the swirling sea to retrieve the boy. As, he  
was being rescued, the little boy attempted to fight his savior, still calling  
out his father's name.  
"NO! Daddy, no! Where are you? Come Back! Come back!!!"  
The cries were in vain.  
Suddenly, an older, familiar voice joined in with the little boy's cries, soon  
drowning them out with their sorrow and intensity.  
"NO! Not again... Please, not again!"  
As lightning crashed and illuminated the angry sky, the Ronins could see  
Sai--their Sai-- standing on a large outcropping of rock, not yet covered by the  
swirling tide. His eyes were wide with horror, tears of despair streamed down  
his cheeks, mixing with the rain.  
"Sai!" Kento screamed out.  
Sai, too lost in his own grief, didn't seem to acknowledge Kento or the others.  
"How do we help him face THIS?" Rowen demanded. "This isn't like the other two.  
Sage and Kento's nightmares were both about their worst fears, but THIS?!?"  
"He's reliving the death of his father," Kento stated numbly, his heart going  
out to his stricken best friend. "We gotta help him somehow!"  
"We will, Kento, we will..." assured Ryo.  
Rowen smiled sadly. "But how?"  
The other three looked at him. "Thanks for the optimistic outlook, Ro," Sage  
muttered.  
They fell into an uncomfortable silence.  
"We have to do something," said Kento softly after a moment.  
"Let's go," Ryo sighed, and they began to climb their way over to the warrior  
of Torrent.  
Sai couldn't look anymore. Out on the water, his child self was screaming,  
trying to go back over the side to his father as one of the men on the boat held  
him back.  
"DADDY!"  
Closing his eyes, Sai lowered his head into his hands and began to rock back  
and forth. A hand lighted on his shoulder.  
"Sai," Rowen said softly.  
Sai just shook his head.  
"Sai...." Kento, Ryo, and Sage moved forward awkwardly.  
"I could've saved him...." Sai collapsed to the ground in a heap, hands still  
covering his face.  
Taking a deep breath, Rowen jerked Sai's hands away. "Sai, you know that's not  
true. You were what, 5? If you had tryed, you BOTH would've drowned."  
Sai shook his head. "I could've tryed...."  
"And then we wouldn't have had the 5th ronin, and Talpa would've won on his  
first try," Rowen knelt next to his friend. "Sai, you have to come to terms with  
the fact this was not your fault."  
"I can't..." Sai cut himself off with a bout of sobs.  
Rowen stood. "Think, Sai. You know, inside, that I'm right."  
  
"It's cold here," Kento shivered. The four ronins other than Sai had pulled  
away a little to give him time to think.  
"Really cold," Ryo agreed. Falling silent, the ronins stared out over the beach  
facing away from the sea. Jagged rocks pushed out of the sand, standing tall and  
dark against the stormy gray sky.  
"What do I have to do to get out of here?"  
At the sound of Sai's british accent, with an obviously fake cheery quality  
about it, the four spun around quickly. Sai's face was streaked with tears, his  
eyes bloodshot, auburn hair wetly plastered to his head, but he held himself  
straight and calm.  
"Well, stop staring and tell me how."  
"Well..." Ryo hesitated. "We don't exactly know."  
"Um...what?"  
"Well, the other times Kento and Sage just beat their dreams, did their attack,  
and some kinda door or something appeared," he explained. "But..."  
"Oh." Sai smiled sadly. "Got it." He thought a moment. "I could... try using my  
attack?"  
"On what?" Sage raised an eyebrow.  
Sai looked around, then fixed his gaze on a large rock about 50 feet out in the  
sea. It was shaped as to where it almost resembled a man in a boat, a wave  
looming over him.  
"That."  
Rowen stared at it. "That rock is just way too conveniently shaped."  
Nodding, Sai walked a little closer.  
"Is that supposed to represent his feelings about his dad or something?" Kento  
muttered.  
"I guess so," answered Ryo softly.  
In front of them, Sai had called his armor and was slowly advancing towards the  
edge of the beach.  
"SUPER WAVE SMASHER!"  
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the world exploded.  
  
Author's note- Gotta thank Saimone for writing the first part of this chapter  
when I had writer's block...And for helping me come up with the idea for this  
nightmare, too...  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Black and white filled Rowen's vision, and he felt as if the ground beneath him  
was gone and he was suspended frozen in the almost non-existent air. He couldn't  
move. His whole body was paralyzed in an empty space that barely held enough air  
for him to survive.  
Ohmygod, we could be killed here and not be able to do anything about it, Rowen  
thought. Kurai's upset we got out and will win at any cost, even going back on  
the rules...  
Rowen began to struggle with his muscles, trying to get them to move, even just  
to twitch. He needed to know they were still there- a strange, disembodied  
feeling filled him, even as he began to believe his air was getting low.  
And he dropped.  
He hit the floor with a loud thud, quickly looking to make certain the other  
ronins were with him.  
"Everyone ok?" Ryo asked shakily.  
"I think so," Sage shivered.  
They were standing in circular stone room with chains and shackles dangling  
from the wall. There didn't seem to be any way in or out, adn the air was heavy  
and damp.  
"Welcome to my dreamscape."  
Kurai was leaning against the wall, her voice self-mocking and almost bitter.  
"We got through, Kurai," Ryo called out. "Now let us, Mia, and Yuli go."  
"Oh, you're not through yet," Kurai's wolfish grin crept across her face. "You  
still have one more challenge."  
"Then let's go! Why did you bring us here?" Kento demanded.  
The dark sorceress laughed. "I needed to make it more interesting. Only two of  
you will face this challenge." She raked her eyes over the warriors, and  
suddenly, with a flip of her hand, Ryo, Kento, and Sage were thrown against the  
wall. Shackles closed around their wrists and ankles with resounding clicks.  
Rowen and Sai looked at their nemesis.  
"What do we have to do?" Rowen asked quietly.  
"Close your eyes and I'll show you."  
  
They were in Sai's nightmare. At least, it looked like his nightmare- it was  
the same rugged, untamed beach and sea, but instead of Sai and his father in the  
boat, Mia and Yuli sat there, tied and gagged.  
"Oh......" Sai let out a low moan of despair, dropping to his knees. "No, not  
them too..."  
"We have to save them!" Rowen cried out, already sprinting towards the shore.  
It wasn't until he was halfway there that he realized Sai hadn't followed, but  
he didn't have time to go back for his friend. He was set on Mia and Yuli.  
The water was up to his waist now, and he began to swim, knowing he had to  
reach them- the sky was already becoming stormy and the sea choppy.  
Rowen felt the side of the boat cold against him very suddenly, just as the sky  
opened above him. Gasping for breath, he hauled himself over the side and into  
the boat. Instinctively he began to fumble with the knots.  
"Dammit..." he cursed. "Just a second, guys, these knots are too tight- I'll  
have to cut through them." He looked around furiously for something sharp.  
"There's no time!" a light British voice called from the shore, and the  
blue-haired archer could see that on the shore Sai had gathered himself together  
and was fighting his way towards them."Just get the life vests!"  
Rowen immediately obeyed, fastening life vests to Mia and Yuli and gunning the  
engine of the boat, pointing it towards shore.  
"ROWEN! WATCH OUT!"  
He barely caught a glimpse of the giant wave towering above him before the  
world went black.  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
"He's waking up!"  
Yuli's voice cut through his subconscious like a knife. Rowen winced.  
"Rowen?" a soft female voice asked.  
"Mia?" Rowen sat bolt upright, eyes flying open. A sudden pain cut through his  
head, and he fell back with a groan.  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah, I'm...." Rowen winced and bit back a cry. "Fine. What happened?"  
"We're not exactly sure," replyed Mia softly. "After you blacked out on the  
boat, Sai managed to get us to shore, and then... we all found ourselves back  
home. We were all ok, but you...you've been out for almost a week, Rowen. We  
think Kurai launched some kind of psychic attack on you on the boat or  
something." Mia grinned as evilly as was possible for her. "Ryo said Kurai was  
really mad about being beaten."  
Rowen managed a weak smile, which immediately disappeared. "Where's the  
amulet?" he hissed desperately, fumbling at his throat.  
"Calm down," Mia laughed. "Right here." She reached over to his bedside table  
and handed him the emerald and gold amulet. "Now get some sleep."  
  
Kurai stared up at Rowen's window. With a graceful leap, she landed in the tree  
beside it and scrambled up the rest of the branches needed to reach it.  
Within minutes she was in his room, the cold night air blowing her black robes  
around her. A soft green light emulated from Strata's bedside table.  
Her amulet.  
As soon as her hand closed around it, Kurai felt a surge of power jolt through  
her. This was her lifeline, her drug. She needed it.  
Her eyes lingered on Rowen's form for a moment. "I refuse to suffer," she  
whispered. "So I'll run from my tribe, my home- all because of you. I will get  
my revenge." As she slipped out the window, she couldn't help thinking how  
beautiful he was. But she quickly shook that off, and slipped away- into the  
shadows of the night.  
  
Author's note- Do I smell a sequel?! I'm sooo glad I finally finished this...I  
feel like I need a parade or something...I've already got the sequel planned  
out, so it should be coming soon! Ok, I still want e-mails, so remember-  
sarabian_queen@hotmail.com. Oh, and thank you for bearing with me in my first  
fanfic attempt!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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